Long author's note.

Firstly, thank you to those that left a review. I know that probably a few people found my choice to go this route questionable, but it was an idea that really appealed to me and so I ran with it. Because in the end, I want to enjoy the story I'm writing, rather than forcing one I don't. Some may be worried that I don't have a plan, I can assure you I do. I have the rest of the chapters planned out and some written. Some of you enjoyed it and that's great. And some didn't and have lost interest, that's fine too, and I hope that you will enjoy one of my fics again in the future.
Thank you to those that are keeping their faith in me and hanging around, I really appreciate it.

Now for some Strigoi Rose :D

Part 35

Dimitri POV

Roza struggled in the restraints, the sound of the metal grinding against itself as she attempted to twist and turn, looking for any weak spot. Her eyes were now moving around the room, unfocused.

I could remember how overwhelming the change in my sight was; even the dim light in this room may be too much for her to handle right now. All of her senses would be in overdrive; the enhanced difference was a lot to get used to.

I shifted away from Roza, getting back on my feet. The others in the room were quiet, eyes locked on the woman before us. None of us were strangers to Strigoi or even to knowing someone that had turned. But it was different when it was someone you loved. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Janine take Abe's hand, giving each other support.

Roza snarled again, squinting her eyes at us as her nostrils flared. "What—what are you doing?"

My breath caught; even her voice was the same. Before, when I would hear it, the bond would react to the beautiful sound, but that was gone. A cruel reminder that this wasn't my Roza.

Just in case, I drew my stake from my holster and stepped forward again. I angled my head, so it cast a shadow over her face, "Rose," I called. Her eyes snapped to mine, able to focus on me without the light blinding her. "Do you remember what happened?"

Her body stilled, staying tense against the chains. After a moment, she shook her head. "Hungry," she growled out. "I'm so… hungry." The plea in her voice tugged at my heart.

I grimaced. Roza would be controlled by her need to feed; every part of her being would be craving blood, desperate enough to try anything to get some. I stepped away, not turning my back on her.

I glanced at Abe, "Did you get some?"

His gaze was guarded, giving a quick nod. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

It was a risky move; giving a Strigoi blood can make them stronger, but Roza was freshly turned; she wouldn't calm until she got what she wanted. "I won't give her a lot. Just enough to ease the craving. And we should call the Princess."

"I'll contact the Princess, explain the situation. Try to get her here as soon as we can." Janine replied, stepping out of the room. Abe watched after her.

"I'll get the blood." He told me before leaving as well.

Pavel remained silent, observing Roza closely with his stake drawn. His eyes met mine for a moment before shifting back to Roza. "Are you sure you can handle this?"

I sighed heavily, the weight of everything pressing against my shoulders. The pain of my loss was still there in the back of my mind, demanding to be let out, but I kept trampling it down. I rolled my shoulders, standing straight as my mask slipped back into place. "I'm fine."


Abe had given me a blood bag that I had seen Moroi take with them for trips when they knew they couldn't get a feeder. It wasn't the preferred choice of blood because it wasn't fresh, but with her hunger, Roza will accept it.

Pavel and I were the only ones in the room, her parents unwilling to watch. I tried not to cringe at the thought of feeding blood to Roza but knew once she had some, she would settle down as the craving passed. It would be best if she weren't desperate for blood when Vasilisa arrived.

Pavel stayed behind me as I approached Roza, her eyes having adjusted to the light, watching me carefully. She would be listening to my heartbeat, hearing each pulse of blood through my veins. Her nostrils flared, then her eyes narrowed on the bag in my hand.

Trying not to show my apprehension, I held the bag up to her. She was uncertain at first, but she was quick to latch on when I brought it closer to her mouth.

Blood seeped from the corner of her mouth, the sight like when she was stabbed. The blood ran down her chin combining with the dried blood on her neck and chest. She looked like something out of a horror movie, red-ringed eyes flicking up to me occasionally as she gulped greedily from the bag.

When the bag was empty, I pulled back, watching as she tried to reach for more. It was hardly what a Strigoi would call a full meal, but it would do.

Roza hung her head forward, breathing heavily. When she lifted her head, her eyes were cold but had recognition in them. Slowly the corners of her lips pulled up into a smile that held none of the warmth it used to. "Guess you finally got what you wanted, comrade."

Shame washed over me, "This isn't what I wanted."

"Aww, don't be like that," She pouted, "It's just as great as you said. Except for the chains. I should have known you liked the weird stuff."

"Roza, please understand. We did this to save you. If we didn't -" My hands clenched around my stake, my heart aching, "If we didn't, you would have died."

"So I'm undead instead, great save there." Roza laughed, the sound sending chills down my spine. "And what's the big plan? Is Lissa going to come to turn me back, and then you get to live happily ever after with your soulmate? Poor Dimitri." Her head tilted to the side, "Did it hurt when I died? Felt like your heart was being ripped out of your chest?"

I refused to look away, not wanting her to know her words affected me. But she could read me. She always could.

This time, throwing her head back in a laugh, "Good! After what you did to me, you deserved it!"

"We're going to save you, Roza. Just wait a little longer."

"What makes you think I want to be saved? You think I want to come back to the man that did this to me? Do you really think I'm going to forgive you?"

My heart plummeted as she voiced the fears I had been ignoring. Roza never wanted to be a Strigoi, even going so far as to say that she would rather be dead. Even though I wasn't the one to pour Robert's blood into her mouth, I had helped.

What if Roza never forgave me?

"Belikov."

I looked over my shoulder; Janine stood at the door. Her expression gave nothing away, but I could tell she was hesitant to enter the room.

I heard Roza gasp dramatically behind me, "Even my mother came to save me. Who knew she cared enough to try. I think I might cry from joy."

"Roza," I scolded her out of habit.

"No, no, really. I'm getting a little choked up here. There may even be tears."

I crossed the room to Janine, trusting Pavel to keep an eye on Roza as I stepped into the hallway. "Did you talk to Vasilisa?"

Janine stared past me, drawn back to the room, "Yes. They said they were going to try to get off Court without bringing too much attention. I also called Hans and informed him of the… situation."

I nodded, though she didn't see it. "You don't have to go in there."

Her eyes snapped to mine, they held some of her usual fierceness, but they were also scared—something I was not used to seeing on the woman. "I can handle it. I just didn't expect…."

"Strigoi look and act just like they did before they turned, but it's more of an act than anything else. A habit they can't break," I told her, recalling how I had continued to collect Westerns. It wasn't because I felt any joy from the novels, but because that's just what I had done before. The habit followed me, but none of my emotions did.

"Would you stop it with the secret whispering? I can hear you!" Roza yelled from the room.

It didn't escape me that she was acting very similar to when I had first met her. It stirred odd feelings of sadness and nostalgia.

Returning to the room, I saw Roza staring at Pavel with a bored expression. Noticing her subtle movements under the chains as she tested for weak spots, no doubt hoping to break out of them similar to how Sonya did. Roza was still new to the change, not at full strength yet. I could only hope that will prevent her from breaking out, but Roza should never be underestimated.

"So dear, sweet, Lissa is coming to pay me a visit?" She asked, eyes moving to mine.

Janine followed me into the room, not hanging back by the door, "Rose, she will turn you back. You won't have to be this monster anymore."

Roza's eyes became wide, lip starting to tremble as if she were about to cry, "She'll change me back? I can go back home?"

"Of course," Janine affirmed, her voice hopeful.

Roza's expression changed to one of mocking, rolling her eyes, "Boring!" A dark look covered her eyes, "Enough talking. Time for some screaming," She glared at Janine with a look of contempt, "I'll start by ripping your throat out, watch as you choke on your own blood."

The silence that settled over the room was stifling. There was no question if Roza was telling the truth. This was the Strigoi talking, a soulless creature wearing the face of the woman I loved.

"How delightful, Rose," Abe mused, waltzing in the room, appearing as if he had no care in the world. Abe was used to hiding his thoughts, being perceived as the most intimidating person in the room. I watched them size each other up.

Approval flashed in Roza's eyes, "Don't worry, dear old dad. I would awaken you. With all that money and connections, I would have a bigger empire than Galina had. Hell, we can even turn Pavel. He's cool." She shrugged, the playful tone of her voice so familiar. And then her attention was on me, "I haven't forgotten about you, comrade. I'll free you again. We can do all the things you wanted to do before. We'll be together forever."

Together forever. I had made her that same promise when convincing her to let me turn her. I was riding off the power of being Strigoi, the thrill of no longer caring. Roza was just a possession I wanted to own, and I was the same to her now.

"You won't hurt anyone. I won't let you," I promise to her, just as much to myself. She won't know the agony I went through after being restored and the blood of the innocents I hurt weighing on my soul.

"Prey or predator, comrade."

My jaw clenched.

She smirked, "This won't hold me for long."


It was almost an hour before we heard back from Vasilisa. She had managed to get approval to leave Court again; I suspected I was going to owe Hans and Sage a favour after this.

After threatening to kill everyone, Roza had become quiet. A glint in her eyes told me she was planning something. I refused to leave the room. If she did break free, the combined strength of Pavel and me should be enough to subdue her again. But it was a question of how long?

Roza wouldn't be pulling punches; her goal would be to kill us. It will come down to a choice I prayed I didn't have to make.

She shifted in her seat, throwing her head to the side to flick her hair over her shoulder, sighing dramatically. While I had given off the appearance of being patient as a Strigoi, Roza very much didn't. Just as she did as a dhampir, Roza hated waiting around.

"The least you could do is entertain me," She looked pointedly at me. She had tried getting a rise out of Pavel half an hour ago, but the man didn't so much as blink at anything she said. So that just left me.

Her parents were out in the main room, waiting for Vasilisa and making calls. Abe seemed to have a lead on how Roza ended up in this situation. I was the only one in the room that she knew well enough to taunt with her words.

"Come on, comrade," She pleaded, dropping her chin so she could look up at me through her eyelashes, "I mean, I'm all tied up. Maybe we could have some fun with it."

I scolded myself for the thoughts that crossed my mind at her words, reminding myself that this wasn't Roza. Not really.

"You could even return the favour." I quirked my eyebrow up at her, making her smirk. "I let you feed on me. Now it's your turn."

"Quiet," Pavel ordered.

"Fucking make me," She retorted. Attention now on Pavel, "If you want to step up to the plate and give me a taste, I won't say no. You're a bit old, but I do like guys older than me."

When he didn't respond, she frowned. She had reached her limit, no longer trying to be subtle about testing the strength of the chains; Roza started fighting against them with vigour. From the creaking of the chair, I realised at the same time she did that it would be the first to go.

I was across the room and in front of her in seconds. I had to stop her from moving, raising my stake to press against her exposed skin, but hesitated inches away. I couldn't hurt her.

Her satisfied smirk was wiped off her face as another stake was pressed against her neck, releasing a scream as it burned her skin. My body urged me to stop the person hurting her. I wasn't connected to her by the soulmate bond anymore, but I swore I could feel her pain.

I caught Pavel's eyes, the message in them clear. Don't hesitate.

Taking a second to compose myself, I pulled up my mask and pushed down my feelings. I blocked the noise of Roza's screams, taking the chance to inspect the restraints and chair while Pavel had her pinned.

As I circled behind her to check the cuffs, I noticed the discarded pile of ropes, sitting nestled in it, was something silver. I pulled it out, eyes widening, realising I was holding Roza's bracelet, the one charmed with spirit. She must have removed it to let the darkness take over, and the ghosts appear.

Something about it was nudging at my mind, but I wasn't sure what, choosing to place the bracelet in my pocket beside her necklace for now. I turned back to her wrist and then to the rest of the chains. The wood of the chair was the most worrying part; the chains weren't going to break anytime soon.

Standing back up, I nodded at Pavel, telling him she was secure and that I could handle the situation again. My lesson that I had called Roza out for forgetting, I had done so myself—I hesitated. But I wouldn't do so again.

Roza's eyes were squeezed close in pain, trying to lean back from the metal of the stake, but Pavel kept it pressed firmly against her. When he pulled back, she slumped forward, breathing ragged. The wound would heal quickly, but it showed Roza that we would use force. Until she was restored, we had to treat Roza like a threat and nothing else.

Her eyes lifted, a menacing glint to them, but she remained silent—for now.

After a moment, her expression changed, tilting her head as she looked past us to the door. A minute later, I could hear it too; there were footsteps. I glanced over my shoulder, keeping Roza in my peripherals.

I was expecting one of her parents, or maybe even lucky enough for Vasilisa to have already arrived. But instead, I was stunned by the sight of Tasha entering the room.